Grate-cleaner.



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. PIERCE, OF CARTERSVILLE, AND SAMUEL C. BYRD, 0F WEBB CITY,

MISSOURI.

GRATIS-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Application filed December 11, 1911. Serial No. 665,106.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES F. Pinnen andSAMUEL C. Brno, citizens of the United States, residing at Cartersvilleand lVebb City, respectively, inthe county of Jasper and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GrateCleaners; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains t make and use the same.

This invention relates to ore separators, and more especially to jiggersemploying a piston movement; and the object of the same is to providemeans for automatically cleaning the grate in a jigger of this kind.

Broadly speaking this object is accomplished by providing mechanism forrapping or tapping the grate at certain intervals so as to produce avibration of its parts and dislodge particles therefrom, andspecifically the invention consists in the details for carrying thisout, all as hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown inthe drawings wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section of one embodiment ofthis invention, and Fig. 2 a similar section of the upper portion of theparts shown in Fig. 1 but in different position; 'Fig. 3 is aperspective detail of the knocker shaft employed in this embodiment, andFig. 4 an enlarged sectional detail of the lower end of one of theknocking or rapping bars.

In the drawings I have conventionally illustrated an ore separator ofthe jigger type which may be briefly described by means of referenceletters as follows: The

main framework F supports a plunger box I5 which communicates through anopening 0 with the water box IV, the latter having inlet I and exhaustE, and at the top of this water box is the tray J for washing or jiggingthe ores, the same having a slatted bottom forming a grate G, and thematerial being fed to this tray by means of the trough T or otherwiseand taken from it in any suitable manner. Within the plunger box B ismounted. a plunger P which is reciprocated vertically by a rod Rconnected with an eccentric C on the power shaft S which is journaled inthe framework F and rotated by any suitable means. The well knownoperation of machines of this type is that as the plunger descends thewater in the box 1% forced through the opening 0 into the water box 1Vand upward through the grate G so that the material within the jiggertray J is agitated and separation of the lighter and heavier particlesis produced. I. repeat that the description and illustration of thismuch of my invention is merely conventional, and is given for purposesof locating and explaining the uses of my improved cleaner. Ileretoforemeans have been devised for cleaning the grate as by flushing the samewith water, raking it at times, etc, but the means that I employ will bedescribed below and indicated on the drawings by reference numerals.

Broadly speaking, I propose to agitate the grate by rapping, tapping, orknocking it at proper moments so as to cause the vibration of its gratebars and to some extent also of its frame in order to dislodge theparticles of material therefrom. This I accomplish by mounting on theeccentric a band '15 which drives a rod 10' made in two sectionsadjustahly connected by a sleeve 13 and a set screw 14, the outer end ofsaid rod having a double angle and a foot 11 which is projectedhorizontally at each revolution of the eccentric. A knocker shaft 1 isjournaled in bearings 2' in the framework F and carries an arm 17' fromwhich projects a lug 16' which in turn carries a set screw 12. Saidshaft also carries one or more arms 3" from whose outer extremities hangrods 8 which are to knock or rap the grate G. It may be advisable inthis construction to pass the lower ends of said rods 8 into socketsshown in Fig. 4: as short upright pieces of tubing 7 whose lower endsengage pins 4 rising from plates 5 which are riveted upon the slats 5 ofthe grate above described. In the action of this embodiment of myinvention, each revolution of the eccentric projects the bar or rod 10outward so that its foot 11 engages the arm 17 and rocks the shaft 1'from the position shown in Fig. 1 to thatshown in Fig. 2; this raisesthe arm or arms 3 which therefore lift the various rods 8', and when thefoot 11 slides off the outer end of the arm 17 the rods quickly descendby gravity and rap or knock upon the upper extremities of the pins 4;"and thereby agitate the grate in the manner above set forth. The lengthof the rod or bar 10 may be adjusted by means of the sleeve 13 and setscrew 14 as will be clear, and the set screw 12 in the lug 16 of the arm17 may adjust the height at which the angle or extremity of the foot 11engages the upper end of the arm 17. By these two adjustments the degreeto which the several rods 8 are raised, the extent of the distancethrough which they are permitted to drop, and the times at which they dodrop may all be regulated to suit the varying conditions of the machine.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an agitating device of the class described, the combination withthe grate, and a rod for rapping upon the same when it descends; of arock shaft having a laterally projecting arm in which said rod is hungand an upwardly projecting arm provided With a lug, a set screw passingupward through said lug, a bar having a double angle in its body restingon said set screw and. a foot passing over the upper end of this arm andprojected across the latter, and means for reciprocating said bar, forthe purpose set forth.

2. In an ore separator the combination with the grate; of agitatingmechanism therefor including an oscillatory shaft journaled in theframework of the separator, an arm projecting from said shaft, a rodepending from the outerend of said arm, a guide rising from the grateand loosely inclosing the lower end of said rod, and means forintermittently turning the shaft to raise said arm and then releasing itso as to permit the rod to rap upon the grate at each descent of saidarm.

3. In an ore separator of the jigger type, the combination with thegrate; of agitating mechanism therefor including an oscillatory shaft,an arm projecting from said shaft, a

rod depending from the outerend of said arm, a plate riveted upon thegrate and having a threaded pin rising from it, and a piece of tubingscrewed upon said pin and loosely receiving the lower end of said rodwhereby the latter raps upon the pin at each descent of the arm.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. PIERCE. SAMUEL C. BYRD.

Vitnesses BEULAH SCHOENHERR, J EFF BLACK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

